“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27
When rock climbers are ascending the sheer face of a mountain, they look for the tiniest place to lodge their toes—a place that gives them the opportunity to make progress. Climbers refer to such places—a ledge, crack, or outcrop—as a foothold. Place, opportunity, and foothold are all English words used to translate Greek topos in Ephesians 4:27: “Nor give place [opportunity/foothold] to the devil.” Foothold calls to mind the expression, “Get a foot in the door”—when someone takes advantage of an opportunity for advancement. What is Paul discussing? How might we give the devil an opportunity for advancement in our lives? (Dr. Jeremiah)
Scripture tells us to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to take every thought captive. Some thoughts come to our minds that are so ungodly, God-honoring, or God-glorifying and are even offensive to us and we have to wonder where in the world did it come from. We need to be able to recognize these thoughts for what they are.
Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, we have a sinful nature that continues within us until the day we die. It rears its ugly head in our thoughts when we are not expecting it or even desiring it.
Satan is the prince of this World, its lies, false hopes, disgusting lusts, self-satisfaction, self-greed, personal justice, self-reliance, self-pride, personal worth, etc….. all of which are footholds in our minds and thoughts.
The world and its desires are clearly displayed in social media, sports, news outlets, movies, radio, podcasts, etc… It is impossible to live in this world and not have these influences tempt our minds and thoughts. Recognizing them requires Word of God, diligence, perseverance, and Holy Spirit discernment. The more time spent in God’s Word the more our eyes will be opened to truth and through the Holy Spirit we will discern and identify worldly influences that tempt our thoughts. When we are able to recognize an errant thought we can take it captive, confess it, thank God for exposing it, and cast it out of our head.
Too many times we allow these thoughts to linger and take a foothold. Too many times we do not recognize them for what they are and who they are from. When we fill our hearts and minds with God’s Word and desire and seek the Holy Spirit’s leading we will have a firm foundation on which God will be honored and glorified. We can’t stop these thoughts from coming but we most certainly know they are not God-Honoring or God-Glorifying, take them captive, and cast them out.
